William Grant Stratton (Arizona '32)
past Governor of Illinois
past U.S. House Representative of Illinois

born in Ingleside, Lake County, Ill., February 26, 1914; attended the public schools; graduated from the University of Arizona after majoring in political science where he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity, Tucson, 1934; elected as a Republican to the Seventy-seventh Congress (January 3, 1941-January 3, 1943) (at 25 years of age, becoming the youngest member of the U.S. House of Representatives and was known as the "Baby of the House"); was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1942; Illinois state treasurer, 1943-1944, and 1950-1952; served as a United States Navy lieutenant in the South Pacific, 1945-1946; elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress (January 3, 1947-January 3, 1949); was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1948; delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1976; elected governor of Illinois in 1952 (Governor Stratton was the youngest person to hold the office of Governor in the twentieth century; he was 38 years old when he was elected to the position in 1952), and reelected to the succeeding term, serving from January 12, 1953, to January 9, 1961; was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as governor in 1960; unsuccessful candidate for nomination for governor in 1968; died on March 2, 2001, in Chicago, Illinois.

During his time as Governor, William Stratton built the economic backbone of the State of Illinois; he laid out plans for O'Hare International Airport, McCormick Place, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, working beside late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley; he built more than 7,000 miles of new roads, including 187 miles of expressway in the Chicago area, and 638 bridges across the State; he won approval for bond issues to construct the University of Illinois at Chicago and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; he also expanded the Northern, Eastern, and Western Illinois campuses; Governor Stratton spoke out against racial discrimination, attempted to create a fair-employment commission, and named the first woman and first African-American to a gubernatorial cabinet; He served as chairman of the National Governor's Association from 1957 to 1958.

After leaving office, Mr. Stratton was vice president of corporate relations at Canteen Corporation, board chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association, and a board member of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce; at the time of his death he was a vice president of Associated Bank of Chicago.

Son of Illinois Secretary of State William Joseph Stratton. Born in Ingleside, Lake County, Ill., February 26, 1914.
Republican.
U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large, 1941-43, 1947-49;
Illinois State Treasurer, 1943-45, 1951-53
candidate in primary for Secretary of State of Illinois, 1944
served in the U.S. Navy during World War II
candidate for Secretary of State of Michigan, 1948
delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952, 1956, 1960
Governor of Illinois, 1953-61
defeated in primary, 1968
candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1960.

Member, American Legion; Amvets; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Freemasons; Shriners; Eagles; Elks; Lions; Delta Chi.
Died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Cook County, Ill., March 2, 2001. Interment at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
See also: congressional biography.